Italian wedding soup

I have to finish this and put pics in but here goes for now...

1 quart chicken broth

Carrots (I use canned if I don't have real carrots)  

2 stalks celery chopped

2 Tbsps Tomato sauce

1 head of escarole

1 cup Orzo

Italian meatballs

When you make the meatballs I make them about this size.

Put chicken broth in the pan and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile cut up celery and carrots and put into broth.  Put meatballs into boiling broth and let it cook for 15-20 minutes.

Boil water for pasta and cook al dente. 

Drain pasta and save 1 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile cut up escarole into small pieces and rinse well. M

ake sure you cut into bite size pieces but not so small they will turn to mush.  

Put this into the broth and let simmer for 6-7 minutes.
Serve with parmesan cheese. I am going to make a batch of this soon and freeze in individual containers so I can have just one serving when I want.

Making dinner and other random thoughts

I love when a recipe tells you that it will take 20 minutes to make. Making dinner for me would be a lot faster was I not also helping kids with homework, feeding the dog, answering the phone/email/door, rifling through the pound of paper my kids bring home every day, filling dishwasher, facebooking and answering the kids when they ask me 90,000 times if they can have a snack and/or when dinner will be ready. 20 minutes my AS&.

Do you think its ok that I still have a spice from the last house I lived in which was before Matthew was born?

I don't understand these people on Extreme Couponing. Do they buy anything perishable? I mean its great that those croutons were free but who needs 100 bags of croutons?

When I was sick last week I went outside with my sunglasses on and I thought to myself DAMN its bright out here!! I went back inside and Megan said to me "Mommy your sunglasses are broken!". The I realized that both lenses had fallen out of the frame. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 2 little dead chipmunks, 1 racoon and 1 very flat snake I saw on my run today. Look both ways little  rodents!

Sam is pumped for the long weekend!

Photos - Kingston Rossdale: Hollywood's Trendiest Tot - December 20, 2008 - UsMagazine.com

I'm sorry: I do not see what is cute about this kid. In a line up I would say my friends' kis make this kid look homely. I know no one wants to know their little kitten isn't cute but if the shoe fits...
Photos - Kingston Rossdale: Hollywood's Trendiest Tot - December 20, 2008 - UsMagazine.com

I'm sorry I missed your stupid conference call, I was having an exorcism

Ok so its all about sickness and coupons over here, 24/7.  Today I was supposed to go to Raleigh but had to cancel because felt like dogshit again when I woke up. I went to a conference all this am and announced to everyone on it like 90 times that I was sick. For you psych 101 not takers this is called displacement: I am mad that I even HAVE TO BE ON THIS CONFERENCE CALL so I take it out on them by telling them of my sickness 90 times. Anyway I HAD to take a nap after that I just couldn't function. While I was sleeping I dreamt of burning things; all kinds of things that were held up for burning in my minds eye. I don't remember what they were but lets come up with a fantasy list shall we:
1. Parking tickets
2. Kid Camp paperwork
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Animal haters
5. Every people magazine with a teen preggo on the cover

I may have to add to this later :)

I woke up 3 hours later having missed:
1) 3 conference calls
2) 57 emails and
3) 17 notices about new coupons or free stuff

But I feel much better, fever seems to be gone, sore throat is MUCH better and I think I'm back in business! 
   

Could you pass the germs please?

Everyone's been sick around the Scearbo house except the dog. Strep, virus, ear infections, you name it.

When the first kid gets sick you have this confidence; you think to yourself "what with my new pack of lysol wipes and obsessive handwashing, this will be the end of it!". Off to the Dr. you go, $30 and 4 hours later, you're back from CVS and its smooth and quiet video game playing from there for the sicko; (the whining usually goes down a couple hours after the CVS visit).

Order is restored and then the next one goes down. I swear the school nurse has me on speed-dial. You know she's calling because she's one of only a few people who call my home phone (which I ignore while I'm working), then my work number, then my cell.  Its as if she's saying yup its me, come and get 'em - you can't hide!  Back to the Dr and to CVS - KA-CHING! $30. Oh and I always forget to call the after school program that my kids are going to be out. $5 penalty KA-CHING!

I had a coupon episode

I don't know how I get these things into my head. One day I'm obliviously  paying full price for everything and can't be bothered and the next second i was in a full fledged couping episode, emailing my niece at all hours about how  she does it - asking her excruciatingly detailed questions; where do you store them, where do you get them? How do you fold them? (I require instruction at even the most basic tasks at home; at work I am much more competent I assure you.). Its like I leave my common sense at the door when I come home. The other day I went running and saw a snake; I literally jumped INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC to avoid the snake. My instincts need adjustment.

Matthew's FDR Presentation

Matthew had to give a presentation about FDR last week and he was very excited to have us come watch him. To prepare for the event he had to dress like FDR. I had so many inappropriate ideas and no decent ones, so I just sent him to school with fake glasses and a dress shirt. I have a lot of insecurity about the kids and school; I always feel I'm not doing things right.

Better to be lame than inappropriate (in the 3rd grade at least). When giving his presentation someone asked what was FDR famous for? Matthew said "for his leadership". It was I could do not to say "And his mistress!" or "the fact that his wife was smarter than him!" or "The New Deal that will have your grandchildren paying for your retirement!". But I said none of those things.
Best not to pollute the little creatures at this point.

Cool graphics

I found this site that scrambles and designs word collages. Isn't it cool?
 http://www.wordle.net/

Saving money with your iPhone

I hate paper. I recently started clipping coupons. I want an IPad and the only way I can with any conscience buy one is if I save enough money to buy it because, seriously, what the hell do I need an IPad for? Anyway, I digress. I have been spending way too much time clipping these foolish coupons and forgetting to bring them to the store. By using these app I select the coupons I want to use and when I buy that product I automatically get my paypal account credited with the savings. All I have to do is use my reward care for the store which is linked to this service. I love this!!
 https://savingstar.com/

Italian "gravy"

Another recipe from my in laws which I had to observe about 100 times before I got it down since those damn italians don't write any recipes down. I make this once a week and it freezes very well.

Magic potions

There are so many things that a chick needs. You may look at this list and say, shit that's a lot of money; but I say hey its cheaper than plastic surgery. You might think, wow with all this stuff I'm surprised you don't look like a supermodel. Hey, imagine what I would look like without it? The main problem is that when i travel I need a small person to carry all this stuff for me. Its expensive being me. I miss all my products when I am gone. I despise all those magazine with celebrities telling you the stuff they use. It never works; they are just getting paid to say it does. Speaking of getting paid, when you click on any of these links you will be taken to amazon where you can buy this stuff and I get a cut. Now don't get me wrong, you pay the same price and I'm pretty sure I'll still me schlepping my ass to work every day. Mainly I just think its super cool that you can do this and I had to teach myself how.  

Remember that disgusting buff puff from the 80's? The one that had all the bacteria in it and you thought you were doing yourself good my scrapping the shit out of your skin? Well this is the modern version but its AWESOME. I was not blessed with small pores. You could store stuff in my pores. Ps I don't get why large pores get clogged easier; this is counterintuitive. But anyway, I digress.



This stuff is like Drano for the pores. Smells a little funky but works awesome.





This has 30 spf and vitamin c. Awesome.






This stuff is the best. not cheap but i swear to god I bought a bottle of this like 2 years ago and it still works. Its so wierd!



I feel so lucky to have been born in a generation that invented a magic potion to cure acne AND wrinkles in one bottle. On the other hand; what a cruel twist of fate to be 40 something and still dealing with acne. In any case, if you have a breakout, put a little of this on it and it will be GONE. Love this stuff and it will last you forever.



When you are living in the tundra and your skin looks like this

you need this.  I know its pricey but soo worth it.

Italian style meatballs

My mother in law taught me how to make these. Let me say they are nothing like MY mother used to make (my mother's version had ketchup and onions - YUCK!). There is nothing like learning how to make meatballs italian style. My Mother in law and father in law never measured anything. I watched them make these about 10 times with my MIL telling me to add ingredients until it FEELS and SMELLS right.  Are you kidding me? As if raw meat of any kind feels good.

1 egg beaten in small bowl
1 cup parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons italian seasoning
1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs (if you make without these you need to put more italian seasoning in)
1 pound 80 ground chuck (they are much better when you buy this vs the 90% lean kind. I know, fattening. It is what it is)
3 cloves fresh garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands.

Depending on what I am making I make the meatballs different sizes. These are for regular sauce and meatballs.

If I make meatballs for sauce I put canola oil in a frying pan at medium high and wait for the oil to get hot before I put the garlic in.


Put the meatballs in just long enough to brown on the outside.

MMMM MEAT. 
Put in the sauce to cook the rest of the way.

Megan and I are carrying on the meatball making tradition; here's her version.

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

I got home from a work trip and hubs wanted teryaki steak tips but didn't have any sauce. He said he would go to the store but I responded smartly, there's no time for that! So I proceeded to spend 20 minutes making my own. I find it baffling that I have 90 different kinds of condiments and sauces in the fridge but no teryaki sauce but I digress. This was so awesome I had to share.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger (I had real ginger which I cut up and threw in; about 1 TBSB) 
1/4 tsp garlic powder
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Recipe was more complicated but I just threw it all in a saucepan and boiled for about 10 minutes and put on the steak. Didn't even marinate.

From food.com

Are these the same people

If I was going to write a book it would be called "the stupid things people say: a Memoir"

I went to San Diego last week and just so you know, its cold there. We went to a Padres game and I went to buy a ridiculously expensive sweatshirt for a team I have no interest in and I asked the sale girl if the Sweatshirt shrinks. She said "not unless you put it in the dryer". Then clarified that actually and said "I don't know, it depends on what its made of: I never put my clothes in the dryer so they don't shrink". I promptly bought the next size up and cut my losses. i laughed the whole rest of the game about this (having nothing better to do than take pictures of my kids, people watch and ruminate over stupidity). Why would I care what your policy on the use of the dryer is? How else would a sweatshirt shrink if NOT at the hands of a dryer? Did she think i had special powers? I know we don't pay retail people much but is it too much to ask for them to at least avoid irritating the customers with stupid statements? Now having said all this I have worked in retail and god knows the customers can be even worse. Or waitressing!!! god I could fill pages with stories of this. Lest you think I am easily irritated, you are CORRECT. But mostly I just find it funny.

My running play list

Most people know I am a runner; I wish I ran more than I do but when I do run, I like to have some motivation in the form of SUPER LOUD music to drown out my moaning and groaning. Some of these may be unconventional but i know I love to get recommendations from people on this topic so I figured it might be a good post.
If you click on this link you can download it.
http://www.scribd.com/full/53030029?access_key=key-76wswcg1u0s8z6ruznd
Running List

Organizing recipes

I am one of those people who rips out recipes from everywhere and had the papers all over the house. My kids have so much school paperwork - I had to get organized.  I put the miscellaneous papers in the plastic 3 ring binder sleeves which also helps when you spill your drink on it (not that I ever do that).  I have one of these for appetizers and one for dinners. I even rip pages out of cookbooks and put them here (yes i rip them out of the book; FOR SHAME!  I cannot stand it when I want a chicken recipe and I'm rifling through 10 cookbooks trying to find it. This way I just go to the chicken section. Ok Im embarassing myself now.   

Pasta y fagioli

This is the best recipe ever! My mother in law taught me how to cook italian peasant style and sometimes that = FATTENING but I actually saw an extremely similar recipe in the WW cookbook. I am posting this as my first recipe post but I must warn you; I don't measure things. This explains my inability to cook brownies from a mix. Part of my wants my mother in law to read this and critique to see if I do it right. Yes you heard that right.

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
salt
pepper
italian seasoning
olive oil
1 15 oz can plain hunts tomato sauce
1 19 oz can cannellini beans
1 cup ditalini pasta

Finely chop onion;

Whn I'm chooping onions and I don't feel like using the food processor I use this doohickey which I LOVE

sometimes I know I won't have time before dinner so I cut everything up in the morning and put in these handy dandy containers I bought on Amazon; they have covers so you can just pop them in the fridge so there's less prep work when I get home ..

Rinse Cannellini beans

Chop up 3 cloves garlic; don't use the store bought minced stuff; the real thing makes a HUGE difference

Saute about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan; once the oil is very hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and add a few shakes of italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile boil a few cups of water for the pasta. 

Wait until the onion is transluscent (about 5 minutes) and add the tomato sauce.  Fill the empty tomato sauce can with water and empty into pan.   Cook about 10 minutes. This is where I often walk away and forget about the pot and come back to a petrified pot of burnt SHIT. But I digress....   

When the pasta is ready (about 8 minutes), strain it with a bowl underneath to catch a few cups of the water from the pasta.  

Add pasta to the sauce along with a cup and a half or so of the pasta water. Add the beans and a few shakes of parmesan cheese. Can you tell i don't like to meausure things? Oh and for all of you organic people who happen to have "shaved homeade parmesan cheese" on hand: BITE ME. Note the Kraft bottle below.  

This is what it looks like done. If you are making this ahead of time don't add the pasta and beans till the last 15 minutes or so. 

I was having a bad day then I bought some shoes

I was frustrated. The kids don't turn their clothes right side out before they throw their clothes in the laundry, dog puked on carpet, developing obsessive compulsive revulsion regarding carpet bacteria, don't know what to make for dinner,.,,. I could go on and on. Buying these helped.

Pretty Ways to Decorate with Easter Eggs

Pretty Ways to Decorate with Easter Eggs

Yarn balls

I never know what to do for a centerpiece; I always have a big ugly bowl in the middle of the table and on my list of things to do is to go buy something cool to put in it. Fake lemons are expensive. I bought real ones once and filled up the bowl but no one ever even came over to see it and they started rotting within a week. UGH. So when I saw this craft I figured it would be a good way to keep Megan entertained and give me something to decorate the house with for easter. I bought all kind of spring colored yarn and a thing of glue and some 5 inch balloons. When I went to the craft store and party store for balloons they only had 12 inch and I needed 5 inch. Typically me finding a craft that seems simple and making it complicated. I ended up asking the clerk at the party store and they had some.

1. Blow the balloons up only about half way. The ones in the picture are from blowing them up all the way and they came out way to big. Although they do look like easter eggs which is sort of appropriate.

Step 1a (optional) have the kids rub the balloons on their hair and stick them to anything and everything. This worked for about an hour of entertainment for the kids.   

Sam does not seem to enjoy this game

2. Put some elmers glue in a tupperware container and mix with water.

3. Take the yarn off the skein (I know you're impressed i know that word) and wrap around your hand, wrapping maybe 20-25 times. I didn't wrap enough yarn and you can see my ball isn't quite covered enough in yarn.
4. Cut the yard and drop it in the glue making sure all the yarn is covered in glue. Be careful not to mix it around too much or you will get the yarn all tangled.
5. Wrap the yarn all over the balloon in a criss cross pattern
6. Once your yarn runs out dip the whole ball in the glue.
7. Let it dry ont he counter or a paper plate. I put pam on the counter so the glue wouldn't stick to it
8. Let it dry 24 hours then pop the balloon and pull it out through the hole

Megan and I did this with a friend and I didnt' take any pictures along the way but I am going to do more this weekend and will update. Megan loved this whole thing start to finish. And i didn't make enough to fill the bowl so this is to be continued...

Taken from http://www.makeandtakes.com/glue-yarn-ball-tutorial

supermodel rant

Somehow as I read this in US magazine this morning i was waiting for the sentence that how odd it is that a celebrity who presumably also complains about the lack of privacy in their life is posting a picture of herself breastfeeding. Is this like, a birth announcement? Thank god this trend wasn't in when i had my kids. Well isn't this all earthy crunchy nature-like; I suppose she uses cloth diapers too. If au naturale is what we are into now why not just post a picture of your baby's first poop; oh how cute!!! I mean I know we've all seen most of her boob anyway in Victoria Secret catalogs but still. Oh and she also talks about how she gave birth naturally....I wonder if she was afraid the painkillers would give her a pimple or something?        

And as an update to this post, 2 months later she's still at it! Tweeting while breastfeeding.  I find this to be the most obnoxious thing!!!

Spousal infractions

My husband has been doing this for years and I think its just the most bizarre thing. He does not like soap after its been used a couple times. As you can see clearly on the left we have several pieces of perfectly good soap; oh no he can't use those; he has to open a NEW one. Now in a good marriage I think you have to come to accept your spouse's flaws and oddities. I don't ever put the toilet paper back on the dispenser. Dan leaves his shoes out every night and every morning I put them away. With all the celebrity break ups its a wonder someone doesn't annouce; "the breakup was amicable but I could just not Fuc&?ing stand the way he leaves his clipped toenails on the floor for one more day".  Sometimes it seems that these are reasons why these idiot celebrities are getting divorced. My favorite excuse is distance: "they had grown apart because their schedules had them spending time apart". Here's a novel thought: Why don't they try spending some time together? Truth be told I have a cleaning lady and I don't really care about this soap fetish even though it clearly affects the presence of the evildoer SOAPSCUM.  What does your significant other do that you find strange? This could get interesting.....

Menu planner

Between going on a diet and prepping for the holidays i have 90 lists around the house; all with similar things on them, some on stickeys some in office, pocketbook, and on the floor of my car. I go through cookbooks, write down all these random ingredients and then sit in front of the fridge listlessly every night at 6 thinking "WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO MAKE FOR DINNER?", or "WHY DID I BUY COCONUT MILK AGAIN?". I'm one of those people who buys all kinds of food with the best intentions of making something then I forget what it was and end up throwing food away. When I get mad at myself for this I start to google the random food I have to see how to make it edible. Typical google would be "chipotle chilis in adobe sauce+casserole+easy+kid+cilantro. A little bit like Chopped only I have no friggen idea what I am doing in the kitchen and would just as soon eat peanut butter toast anyway. IN ANY CASE, I need a better way to plan out the week; so I created my own menu plan/grocery shopping list. I am attaching for your organizing pleasure. i am confident that this will solve all my problems :)

http://www.scribd.com/full/45235949?access_key=key-1elev2935q26bc9yx6b9


       

HOT.....NOT HOT

 

Yes I am THAT boring

My laundry doesn't smell like laundry should; meaning that it doesn't smell the clean laundry scented yankee candle fragrance. Therefore I have decided that I should wash the washing machine. I was going to just buy a new one but that seems extreme. Is my life really this boring? YES IT IS. I just love google.  Here's what I to do. Because admit it, you are now jealous and want that clean laundry smell back too.  Here's how you do it.

Step 1 - With your machine empty, run it full of hot water to the largest load setting. When the tub is full and begins to agitate, add 3 to 4 cups of distilled white vinegar to the water. Then add ½ cup of baking soda. Allow the machine to agitate for a few moments, then turn off the machine. Let the water sit for one hour.

Step 2 - restart the machine and complete the wash cycle.

Mmm think I'll go color code my socks now

$100 bill saga part 2

For those of you who read my post about my daughter and her mysterious acquisition of a $100 bill, it gets better. She asked me to buy her something this morning and I told her I didn't have any money. She said "yes you do, you have the change from the $100 bill I gave you the other day". What a little shit! 

Teacher Inferiority complex

Does anyone else get intimidated by their kids’ teachers?  Anything I do related to school makes me nervous; did I help them complete their homework correctly? Do they have everything they are supposed to have in their backpack? Are they well behaved?  The teachers seem so together; so calm. They have songs to get kids’ attention, they are patient and they make everything fun. And I’m sure they are much better parents too because they are educated in the mysterious creatures. I am constantly nervous I will be discovered as a bad parent.  I don’t know shit about photosynthesis but I am reasonably educated and I have no valid basis to feel this way.  I’m not shy person; in fact I’m usually the one telling the 500 pound Sumo wrestler who tries to cut me in line to take a hike; but when my kids teachers say something the slightest bit negative I am filled with self doubt, “I should have known that the book order must be paid for in pesos; I obviously didn’t read directions!”I

When I was little we were lucky we were sent to school with clothes on never mind with our completed homework assignments, media center books, book orders and donated-box-of-Kleenex-because-the school-doesn’t-buy-them bag.

Matthew had his 3^rd grade teacher parent conference a couple weeks ago. I had it on my calendar for 3:15 and I also saw in the flyer that they provide child watch. Now given my anal retentive need to organize everything and throw unneeded stuff away (see previous post) I wrote all this down in my calendar and promptly threw the flyer away.  My counter is still not clean but at least one piece of paper was efficiently dealt with! READ! NOTED! DONE! NEXT!  I arrive at Matthew’s conference and there is no child watch (ended at 3, see flyer). Offense #321 of the year, I have to bring my child with me to the teacher conference which is expressly prohibited per flyer.  I press on determined to obtain critical information essential to the future of my child. When I get to the classroom the teacher tells me I am late for my conference; it was at 3 not 3:15. I feel as if someone has just told me that I have flunked parenthood. She gives me a new time and I frantically text my husband berating myself for my stupidity. I apologize profusely during the conference. She tells me plenty of good things but when she talks about the improvement areas I am hopelessly hanging on her every word and apologizing for my child. I even volunteer at the school so I don’t feel guilty about wasting her time to talk to me and give me updates.   I guess it’s a good thing that my kids’ teachers impress me but I wonder how much worse it will get when the kids are older. Am I going to have to go back to school for trigonometry so I can help the kids with their homework? Should I transfer schools so I can start over with no list of violations?

Towel animals

I don't know why but i love these things but i do. Every time I see one I kill myself laughing. These are my friend Noelle's pictures and don't think I haven't furiously scanned my pictures looking for my own because i have. All I need is a few drinks to make me hysterical over these things.  

Cute little bunny from my friend Paula

Oh hello there fella